We often start wellness routines with the best of intentions. We promise to go to the gym more, take a multivitamin, watch what we eat, and use CBD daily. Then, life happens.
We forget for a while and circle back around with a renewed sense of enthusiasm. We’re finally ready to commit!
If you picked up some CBD oil and forgot about it for a while, here’s how to tell if it’s expired or spoiled. If it’s been a while, you might need to pick up a new bottle.
Does CBD Oil Expire?
Just about everything expires, and CBD is no exception. CBD has a long shelf life — it’s usually good for about a year. Some CBD oil is good for up to two years.
If you’ve never opened the CBD oil and you stored it properly, it might be safe to use even though the date has passed. Even still, it’s probably not a good idea to take that chance.
What Happens if You Use Expired CBD Oil?
Nothing will likely happen if you use expired CBD oil that isn’t spoiled. But you’re using CBD because you want to experience the benefits of CBD, so nothing happening probably isn’t what you want.
If the oil is spoiled, it’s just like a spoiled food product — it can make you sick. You wouldn’t eat food that’s come into contact with bacteria or has mold growing on it. If you suspect your CBD oil may be spoiled, just toss it.
How Can I Tell if My CBD Oil Is Expired?
There are a few ways to tell if your CBD oil is expired. Some of them are a little more obvious than others. Here’s what you should look out for before you use your CBD oil.
1. What Does the Expiration Date Say?
First things first: check the expiration date. That’s the easiest way to know if your CBD oil has expired. The expiration date is usually listed on the bottle's box rather than on the bottle itself. You may want to play it safe if you don’t have the box.
If there’s a chance that the CBD oil has been sitting around open for a year or more, it’s better to toss it. If it’s still sealed and you’ve stored it properly, investigate a little further.
2. What Kind of Packaging Is Your CBD In?
CBD oil should come in a dark glass bottle. If you transfer it to another type of packaging, it may expire much sooner. CBD, like other cannabinoids, is very sensitive to light.
Light can cause them to degrade over time. It only takes a few days for CBD to start breaking down with light exposure.
3. How Did You Store Your CBD?
CBD needs to be stored away from light and heat. It may get too hot if you keep it in the cabinet above your stove or near a hot water pipe.
If you left it in your car on a hot day, it’s safe to assume it has gotten too much light and heat. Your car's interior can exceed 100 degrees if parked outside on a summer day.
4. How Does Your CBD Smell?
CBD oil naturally has a fairly strong smell. It often smells very similar to cannabis. If your CBD has an earthy, nutty aroma, that’s completely normal.
If it smells sour or funky, it can mean a contaminant has made its way into the bottle and started to decay. We would recommend tossing any CBD that smells sour or rancid.
This is often the result of getting food or saliva on the dropper or closing the cap too loosely. You should try to avoid direct contact between the dropper and any other surface.
We don’t recommend putting the dropper directly into your mouth. When using your CBD oil, twist the cap on very tightly after using it.
5. How Does Your CBD Look?
CBD should be completely translucent with a slightly yellow or amber hue. You should be able to see right through it.
If the color is dark, that’s usually a sign that something is wrong. Contaminants may have gotten into the bottle if the CBD is opaque or cloudy.
All oils can go rancid, and CBD oil is no exception. When in doubt, toss it out. You don’t know if you’ve introduced something potentially dangerous into the bottle.
6. How Does Your CBD Make You Feel?
If your CBD still looks, smells, and tastes the way it did when you bought it, you’d have no reason to think it was expired. If you use it and it doesn’t seem to be providing the same benefits it used to, it could be expired.
Using CBD that’s lost potency is not harmful, but it may not be very helpful. Swap out the old stuff for a bottle of fresh, potent, new CBD oil.
How Can I Keep My CBD Oil From Going Bad?
Your CBD oil can go bad before its expiration date if you don’t take proper care of it. If you’re using the CBD the way it’s intended, it should be long gone before that date approaches. Here are a few tips for keeping your CBD oil in tip-top shape.
Keep CBD in Its Original Packaging
It’s probably smart to avoid transferring your CBD into another container. When you do so, you could introduce air and potential contaminants into your CBD. Your CBD should leave the factory without any bacteria in the bottle, and keeping it in its original packaging will help it stay that way.
Even if everything is as sterile as can be, alternative packaging may not be as effective at blocking out the light that will cause your CBD to degrade faster.
Store CBD Properly
CBD needs to be kept in a cool, dark place. Some people store their CBD in the refrigerator. While it doesn’t hurt your CBD to keep it in the fridge, it’s unnecessary. You might not want to keep it there if small children have access to your fridge or if you share a fridge with roommates.
You can store CBD oil in a pantry or in a dresser drawer. You can also tuck it into the drawer of your nightstand if you like to use your CBD before bed. Any place where light or heat can’t reach the bottle is an appropriate place to keep your CBD.
Remember To Use it Every Day
Although CBD can have a shelf life of over a year, it shouldn’t need to. Most bottles of CBD oil contain 30 servings, and CBD can be used daily.
You should run out of it in a month or so. Even if you only use CBD two or three times a week, it should still be long gone before the expiration date comes up.
Try to tie your CBD into your wellness routine to make it a ritual. If you make taking CBD a habit every night right before you wash your face and brush your teeth, it’ll be easier to remember.
If the problem is that you can’t stand the taste of CBD oil, you can use other forms of CBD! Other forms of CBD, like CBD gummies, may be more appealing. If you already use things like gummy multivitamins, it’s much easier to incorporate CBD gummies into your daily routine.
If CBD Oil Isn’t Working Out for You, Pure Relief Is Here
Pure Relief’s broad-spectrum CBD gummies contain a perfectly portioned 25 mg dose of CBD per piece. They’re a lot tastier than CBD oil, they’re a lot easier to use, and they might make taking CBD a little easier to remember.
Our Daytime CBD gummies are the perfect way to start your morning. They’re made with an energizing kick of green tea extract, ginkgo biloba, guarana, and caffeine. Our Nighttime CBD gummies can help soothe feelings of tension and unease with ingredients like melatonin, chamomile, lemon balm, and L-theanine. Just snack on a gummy for a little relief.
Sources:
The stability of cannabis and its preparations on storage | PubMed
Why Does Cooking Oil Go Rancid? | Live Science
How Long Does It Take a Parked Car to Reach Deadly Hot Temperatures? | Live Science